The great thing about being an East Roman persona means that there are a lot of recipes that are still being used today at Greek restaurants, though I must confess that we still don't know much about the general things those in Constantinople ate because they didn't really hold onto cookbooks, unlike the Greeks and Romans (yes, THOSE Greeks and Romans).
Dolmades are FANTASTIC. I love them, and besides, they're pretty simple to make.
Dolmades (from
Gode Cookery's Byzantine section)
* 3/4 cup of olive oil
* 1/2 onion, chopped
* 8 scallions, chopped fine
* 2 lg. cloves of garlic, chopped
* 1 cup natural barley
* chopped fresh dill to taste
* 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
* juice of 1/2 lemon
* salt to taste
* 1 cup hot water
* 1 one pound jar grapevine leaves
* 3-4 pound chicken, cut in quarters
Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a skillet and add the onion and scallion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Add barley, and brown slightly, stirring frequently, then add dill, parsley, lemon juice, salt and remaining olive oil. Stir well and add hot water. Cover and let simmer for five minutes. remove the grapeleaves from the jar and rinse. Line an enamel pan with a layer of leaves and set aside. To stuff the leaves, put a leaf on the work surface with the rough side up and the stem end toward you. Place a teaspoonful of barley mixture near the stem end. Using both hands, fold the part of the leaf near you up and over the filling. Then fold the right side of the leaf over the filling and then the left side and roll tightly and away from you, toward the pointed end. Place in the prepared pan with the seam side down. Continue until you have used all the ingredients. Place an inverted plate on top of the dolamades and add enough water to come up to the edge of the plate. Rub the chicken with additional lemon juice and garlic and place on top of the plate. Bring to a boil and then cover the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 1/4 hours. Check to see that the barley is tender and the chicken cooked. Remove, cool and chill. Serve with sour cream or Avgolemono Sauce (which is also on the site.)
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